Yorkshire reflects on death of Pope Francis

A Holy Mass for the repose of the soul of Pope Francis was held at Leeds Cathedral

Pope Francis is being remembered throughout Yorkshire, as church services are held following his death at the age of 88.

At Leeds Cathedral, the Vatican flag is flying at half-mast and a Holy Mass for the repose of his soul was held at 12:30 BST.

The Roman Catholic Bishop of Leeds, the Right Reverend Marcus Stock, said to see him give an Easter Sunday blessing in St Peter's Square showed he "clearly wanted to be with his people on the most important liturgical day of the church's year".

He also spoke about meeting the pontiff on two occasions, along with survivors of sexual abuse, and said "to see him greet them, talk with them, and make them feel so welcome was a lesson in itself for me."

Bishop Stock added: "I think he would have been really upset if he hadn't have been able to meet his people on Easter Day.

"I think his lasting legacy will be the care he has shown for the marginalised, the people he called 'on the peripheries'."

The Rt Revd Marcus Stock said Pope Francis was "clearly a fun-loving man"

"Throughout all his teaching and preaching he has constantly called us to remember the poor and that will be one of the lasting legacies of his papacy," the Bishop added.

On meeting him, he said: "He was witty. He had a good sense of humour. He didn't like pomp and circumstance, he liked people who made a little fun of themselves in a light-hearted way, not in a cruel way.

"He was clearly a fun-loving man."

Sister Ann Stafford, the leader of the Bar Convent in York, paid tribute to "a special person" who she said, "radiated Christ".

She said she welled up with tears when she heard the news of his death.

"People mattered to him," she said.

"He wanted the church to be for the people. He said the church is the people, it is not the clergy, bishops or the cardinals, it is the people of God."

Sister Ann added: "He was heartbroken by the wars in the world at the moment, in Ukraine and Gaza.

"Every day he phoned a priest in Gaza to encourage him and his community, he really was a person of peace and he desired to have peace in the world."

Sister Ann Stafford paid tribute to Pope Francis as "a person of peace"

Roisin O'Neil, 18, is part of the Diocese of Hallam and attended a pilgrimage to Rome in October 2023.

"I know young people across the world will be sad today," she said.

"Pope Francis really held young people in his heart and he really championed our contribution to the church," she added.

Speaking about her meeting with him in Rome, she said: "He spoke with such passion to encourage young Catholics to become courageous evangelisers.

"I would like the next Pope to be as humble, gentle and passionate as he was."

Benul Rathnam, 24, is an altar server at St Oswald's in Wybourn, and attended the Catholic World Youth Day in Lisbon two years ago.

He said: "It was then that I saw him in a different light.

"He was talking to all the young people, he was always out there with us, you didn't feel he was some high up person in the church.

"He acknowledged everyone in the church and that was one of the beautiful things about him."

Benul Rathnam (centre) says the Pope valued young people

Pope Francis was the first Latin American leader of the Roman Catholic Church. He had been ill for some time, and was admitted in hospital on 14 February where he was treated for pneumonia.

He was discharged on 22 March and made a number of public appearances, including his final one on Sunday.

He spent 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic Church, but suffered a number of health issues throughout his life, including having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21, making him more prone to infections.

The Vatican confirmed the pontiff died at 07:35 local time (06:35 BST) on Monday.

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